A Dhaka court on Tuesday sentenced three men to life imprisonment for gang-raping a young woman in Nawabganj upazila nearly 24 years ago.
Judge Munshi Md Moshiur Rahman of the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 delivered the verdict in the morning.
The convicts were identified as Sujan, Julhas, and Mahammad.
In addition to the life term, the tribunal imposed a fine of Tk1 lakh on each convict, in default, they have to serve an additional year of simple imprisonment.
In a significant move toward victim compensation, the judge directed the District Magistrate or Collector to realise the fine by selling the movable and immovable properties of the convicts and to provide the proceeds to the victim or her family.
Special Public Prosecutor Md Ershad Alam confirmed the details of the verdict.
Two of the convicts, Sujan and Mahammad, were present in the dock during the announcement and were subsequently sent to jail with a conviction warrant.
However, the third convict, Julhas, remains at large. The court issued a conviction warrant and an arrest warrant against him.
According to the case documents, the incident occurred around 8pm on 22 March, 2002. The victim had accompanied her eight-year-old cousin to a makeshift latrine behind their house.
As she reached the northwest corner of the premises, Sujan intercepted her, muffled her mouth, and forcibly dragged her behind the house where Julhas and Mahammad were waiting.
The trio then took the victim to a boro paddy field in the Gorbakanda area under Sonapur union, where they gang-raped her at gunpoint. Before fleeing, the attackers threatened her with dire consequences if she disclosed the incident. The victim later filed a case with the Nawabganj Police Station.
Following an investigation, Sub-Inspector SM Miraj Al Mahmud of Nawabganj Police submitted a chargesheet against the three on 18 July, 2002.
The tribunal framed charges and initiated the trial, during which it recorded the testimonies of seven witnesses before reaching Tuesday’s verdict.
